


Roses and Stars

by AugustStories



Series: Howling at the Stars [36]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin
Genre: Diplomacy, Friendship, Highgarden, Jon thinks a lot again, Roses, Starfyre, discussions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-19
Updated: 2019-10-19
Packaged: 2020-12-24 09:31:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21097253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AugustStories/pseuds/AugustStories
Summary: In the early days of 296, shortly after Jon has turned three and ten, Arthur reluctantly allows Torrhen and him to ride to Highgarden under the guard of only a newly knighted Holden Whent. Accompanied by their wolves, Jon and Torrhen get welcomed by Willas and Garlan and friendships are formed and strenghtened.





	Roses and Stars

**Author's Note:**

> I'm back with an update to the series. And no it didn't take me four months to write a single Oneshot, I've been working on a lot of stuff for this series as we go into what I would call the third and final part of this adventure. I kept myself from posting stuff or was kept from posting stuff by work and life at first, a lot of things happened, I had a lot of stress and then I went away for vacation to get some energy and peace of mind back.
> 
> And during that downtime I realized that letting a little break happen was actually not a bad thing because we have a three year timejump now and most of the kids aren't kids anymore, they're teenagers now, some of them even came off age. Jon especially is thirteen now, and reaching a point where he has to make a decision soon. So it felt like a good point to put a pause into the updates. 
> 
> Another reason and it's a purely selfish one: I have been going towards that 200 works milestone for a while now this year and I totally wanted something important to be my 200th work on this side. So I kept this Update waiting a little to be that number 200. To everyone still following this series, thank you so much for sticking around and still being there, it means so much to me.
> 
> And for posting this so late this evening: SORRY! I got sucked down the sinkhole that is Youtube by accident over dinner and then never got out!
> 
> Actual Note for this Oneshot:  
Due to changed circumstances Oberyn never attended a certain tourney and Willas never got crippled... at least for now...

Highgarden was... interesting.

“I think I'm going blind,” Torrhen grumbled in pure sarcasm where he rode next to Jon down the Roseroad, quinting at the indeed blinding appearance of the grand castle in the distance. Holden, newly knighted and their guardian for the trip because Richard had refused to go into the Reach, kept quiet but Jon could basically feel the same emotions roll off of him that he felt as well.

It was a bit much.

As in... a lot too much.

Fields of roses surrounded the road on either side for leagues already, which meant that they hadn't even reached the castle yet and Jon was already growing quite sick of seeing roses, which promised something great when the House they were visiting had it in their crest. Flowers would have been one thing, Jon actually liked to see flowers but there were just roses and too much on the nose.

And Highgarden itself was too much at first sight as well.

Made entirely out of white stone, the castle was situated at a river, the Mander, three rings of white high walls surrounded the castle itself and every nook and cranny seemed to be alive with nature. Starfall was white as well but it didn't cut you blind like this one did, and Winterfell matched Highgarden in size, or just about, but somehow Jon found that Winterfell fit better into the wild surrounding it than Highgarden did.

Here, people had obviously formed the lands around it to their... flower loving tastes, nothing was really natural around here, everything was planned out.

Planned out to show off riches.

If Jon didn't know how uncomfortable Willas was by that kind of showy attitude of his father's, he might have now thought twice about going through with this visit. Mace Tyrell was gone, attending a wedding of his bannermen with his wife Alerie, in addition to that the Queen of Thorns, Highgarden's former lady, was visiting her home with young Lady Margaery. A fact that Jon maybe welcomed as well because everything he had heard about the old woman scared him a little and girls like Margaery were exactly the reason why Jon shunned the Water Gardens and Uncle Oberyn's parties nowadays.

Girls made him uncomfortable since a while now, even Rhaena, she was no longer just a wide eyed little girl who liked to join their games but always wanted to be the princess saved from the tower and then yelled at them for getting her dresses dirty. Rhaena was becoming a real lady who danced at the weddings they had attended in the last two years, who learned how to run a hosusehold in the Water Gardens now. Tyene was the one exception but she was also no longer a girl, she was nine and ten now, and next to Torrhen and Edric, she was one of Jon's closest friends.

But girls closer to his age?

Scared him half to death.

As it was, they would be greeted by Willas and his younger brother Garlan, as well as Garlan's new wife, Leonette, and Jon was looking forward to it, they had been writing for years now. They had found much in common, despite the blatant age difference and the rather general hostility between the Reach and Dorne. Torrhen had mostly come along because after that Dragonstone experience he had decided that he wasn't allowing Jon to travel anywhere without him anymore, in case any more awesome surprises awaited him.

Holden was chosen as their guard mostly because he didn't get riled up by anything and Richard needed 'a break from them' as he had put it in his own words.

“Jon, if they talk about nothing but flowers, I'm gonna lose my mind.” Torrhen whined and then flicked his hair out of his face again, he had grown it long, Jon was on a steady basis now fighting off the urge to get to it with scissors. Torrhen's hair had grown darker, straighter and silkier, girls were growing even more gooey eyed over him than they already were. A fact that Torrhen was very much aware of and enjoyed, Jon was admittedly envious of his easy going approaches to girls.

“They will not talk about only flowers,” Jon calmly pointed out, the older they had gotten by now the more it was crystallizing that they balanced each other out perfectly. “Highgarden is known for their well bred horses, too. And Willas sure has more interests than flowers. And from what we know so far you won't have trouble getting along with Garlan. And remember...”

“We are here to represent Dorne and make friends,” Torrhen snatched the words right out of Jon's mouth and glared at him, “do not start sounding like Uncle again, it's creepy.”

Soon enough the first outer walls of the city swallowed them up and they called the wolves to run alongside the horses, eyes were immediately on them, attention drawn so easily. Torrhen turned on the charme while Holden kept his eyes alert, shoulders tense, Jon tried not to shy away from the people stopping their doings to stare at them. This wasn't by far the first time Jon travelled somewhere foreign, let alone to where he would be welcomed by people he had only known from letters beforehand. But this was the first time where he was travelling in an inofficial but still proper manner for Dorne.

He was representing something on this trip, especially concerning the still rather derelict relationship between the Reach and Dorne. Torrhen brushed that pressure off, as a bastard he was expecting to be frowned upon in the Reach anyway, people expected him to mess up, you couldn't do worse than they already thought you to be. Jon on the other hand was not only trueborn but also the son of a man who was Dornish but also one of the few nevertheless respected in the Reach.

  
Thoughts like that were circling around his mind as they rode through the street and more gates until they reached the castle Highgarden at the top. In its courtyard, Willas Tyrell was awaiting them with his brother and sister-in-law at his side, a gentle welcoming smile on his face, and where Ser Garlan and Lady Leonette took a step back upon the wolves approaching, Willas didn't flinch away. Shadow stopped a few feet away from the Tyrell trio, simply showed off his height, whereas Ghost approached cautiously but also more curious for once, stopping only when he was close enough that Willas could brush fingers through the fur on his head.

“Welcome to Highgarden, Jon.”

\--

“I'm astonished really that a highborn future Lord can travel alone like this,” Willas mentioned when Jon and him were walking among the gardens the next day. Andric had in preparation for any possible questions that might appear outside of Dorne during Jon's travel over why a knight's son was protected so much created a ruse with Doran that Jon was going to be announced a Lord of his own keep and name when he came off age.

“I'm not someone important,” Jon held against it and Willas sent him a look, “my father is only a knight. Lord Andric has three healthy children. And people are usually afraid of harming me because it would draw my father's anger onto them,” Jon also pointed out and Willas nodded in understanding this time. The Reach might not like the Dornish and vice versa but the people here knew Ser Arthur Dayne was to be admired and feared at the same time as well.

The truth was that Jon's Pa knew he couldn't cage Jon in, that Torrhen would rather burn the entire Reach down than see Jon get hurt and the wolves gave the remaining conviction that nothing would happen. And there was also the little but not unimportant fact of a violet dragon to consider, though Starfyre had of course stayed at the ruins of the Tower of Joy which had become his current home, Jon could still feel the connection remain strong in his heart. If something happened to him, if he called, Starfyre would come.

He wasn't yet big enough to carry anyone when he was flying but he was growing and maybe within the year Jon could try for the first time. Starfyre was gentle and smart, oh so smart, understood perfectly well that he couldn't fly just anywhere he wanted, that he could only take to the sea in the night. After Jon, Starfyre's favourite people were Jon's Pa and Torrhen, which did not just please Jon very much but also came in handy now where he had gone on a trip.

As young as he was still though the whole fire spitting part worked very well already, had worked well for quite some time.

“Just because you're not inheriting a Lord Paramount's title,” Willas broke him out of his thoughts again and Jon looked up into his kind face, “it doesn't mean you're not important. You're gonna have friends in high places one day, Jon, friends who consider your advice and your opinion to be worth a lot.” Jon flushed and Willas laughed, letting them come to a stop by just another fountain in the garden, everything was perfectly planned out here, there was absolutely nothing left to chance or nature here. Jon definitely liked the playful way the plants and flowers were allowed to grow in the Water Gardens more or in the garden in Starfall. “Take the compliment for once, you're already constantly trying to wave away every nice word I'm saying in your letters.”

“You're ten years older than me, what could I possibly give _you_ in good advice.” Jon tried to argue and looked out over the flowers around them, as beautiful as they were he preferred them wild in nature, preferred them grown crooked and natural, not primmed to perfection. Willas laughed, leaning down to trace his finger's over the water's edge in the fountain, it held a rose made out of marble on top. Overkill. As if Starfall covered everything in stars or Sunspear in suns. It was so ridiculous how the Reachers accused the Dornish of living in excess.

“You've lived a whole different life than I did.” Willas brought him back to their conversation and he never looked down on Jon or watched him like a child, he treated him as an equal and it amazed Jon because yes, there were ten years between them. “I've only ventured out of the Reach once, for a tourney in the Stormlands, and that was it. I rule Highgarden in my father's name because he is toobusy enjoying the hospitality of his bannermen.” Willas drew him the picture and Jon didn't kid himself in hearing clear envy.

“You sound way more bitter about this in person than your writing did.” He gave voice to his thoughts and Willas gave a short laugh, looking back over his shoulder at the castle behind them.

He was respected by the people here, Jon had easily seen that, loved as well, but people didn't approach him like they did his brother, they kept their distance, they covered their behavior and true intentions with more layers of politeness. It was similar to how Adrianne and Quentyn were being treated in Sunspear, she got the deep curtsies and the bows, he got the bright grins.

“Yeah, well, sometimes the tone makes it all. I love my father but sometimes I wish I could have the freedom that my siblings enjoy, see more of Westeros.” Willas told him and he turned his eyes towards the lands that could be seen in the distance behind the white walls. Jon knew from his letters that Garlan had travelled a bit before marrying, that Lady Margaery was being sheppared around by her grandmother all the time and that Loras was squiring at Storm's End. It had to be lonely when you were the oldest and stuck at home. “Like you did, look at you, three and ten and already saw more of the world than I will probably ever get to.”

“I was privileged to do so.” Jon said and didn't mention that he had grown up in Essos because they had needed to flee from being hunted down, his fake identity still had that very much in common with the truth. And he also knew perfectly well that he could travel so freely and so often because he wasn't anyone important's son. Not yet.

“Alright, tell me then, favourite place,” Willas wanted to know and sat down on the edge of the fountain, Jon followed suit as he thought over it.

“Maybe it's because I can hardly remember it or because it's been so long but Volantis,” he chose with a smile full of memories that were maybe fussy in most parts but he could still remember the white house and the large green garden. He could picture the black walls of of the sacred inner city with his inner eye, he could hear the elephants in the streets. “It's something so completely different than Westeros, you know, and I don't know... We were happy there before the war came.” He wanted to go back one day so badly, to see Volantis again with grown up eyes, one day before he died he would see the city again.

“And here, in Westeros?” Willas specified his question and Jon bit his lips, it was a difficult question, he hadn't even seen all of Westeros yet, so many places that he wanted to see still.

“It's so different, all the places I've been to.” He also pointed out because it was the truth, even within the kingdoms there were so many differences. The North had the Neck that was almost so green and lively still, especially compared to the silent white vastness of the lands at the Wall. The Crownlands were wide green fields and rocky islands. Dorne was hot desert, high dry mountains and fruitful coastland. “Dorne is my home and I'll forever be a little biased when it comes to its beauty, the North has character. The Reach is beautiful as well. What I saw of the Crownlands is amazing, Dragonstone is a place you'll find nowhere else in Westeros.”

Willas watched him with a smile and Jon hoped his enthusiam about the last part wasn't giving anything away, he had sworn himself to not get paranoid over everything concerning the truth about himself. He wanted to meet people and not avoid them, and sometimes you just had to trust that not everyone was reading whole stories into every single word.

“Is it possible to get a non-diplomatic answer out of you?” Willas' next question showed a different kind of poking for more though and Jon grinned at him.

“Probably not.”

Willas shook his head, laughing loudly and getting back up onto his feet with a swing, “Come on, let me show you the falcons.”

\--

Back in Starfall, Arthur started the next day by rushing to catch Aurane when his partner's legs folded under himself after Aurane had complained about pain in his shoulder right after waking up. Gently lowering Aurane down to sit on the edge of the bed, Arthur got down on one knee to catch a look into the other man's face. Aurane was breathing heavily, eyes glassy with pain. “Hey, hey, look at me, what's wrong?”

“Get Darvin.” Aurane gritted out between his teeth, eyes falling shut as his face paled to some ghostly gray color that sent Arthur into even more worry.

“I'm not gonna leave you alone like this.” He insisted because Aurane was swaying on the spot and he was sitting, he was not going to search for the Maester while Aurane could pass out and hit his head.

“Get him, please,” Aurane pleaded with him though and he struggled to open his eyes again, the glassiness had sharped to torment and Arthur found himself getting to his feet so he could gently get him to lie down again. Aurane cried out at the movement but followed, knew the risks of falling when losing consciousness.

“Aurane...”

“Please!”

“Okay, okay.”

A few minutes later Arthur was wringing his hands while Darvin wrapped up Aurane's shoulder in warmed up bandages to get the muscles to stop spasming.

“I told you boys enough times now that neither of you is twenty anymore,” Darvin rattled down as he worked in practiced efficiency, Aurane had his eyes closed, milk of the poppy taking a little of the pain away. “If you strain yourself, you need to rest. Your bodies won't just jump back from everything anymore. Especially not when old injuries get strained. You didn't just break a bone, Aurane, you nearly lost the arm at the shoulder, of course that will have consequences for the rest of your life.”

“I didn't feel any pain in it when I went to bed,” Aurane whispered and Darvin finished up the bandages and then checked him over for a fever again, Arthur hoped there was none to be found.

“But you were working on your ship for hours yesterday, and you know to take rest then, to do your exercices to relax the muscles,” Darvin would never stop treating them like children, no matter how often he told them they weren't young anymore. “Now, I'm gonna go and fetch some fresh herbs to bring the inflammation down. Don't move, Aurane. Sit on him if you have to, Arthur.”

Darvin left the room and Arthur pulled a chair up to the bed, reaching for Aurane's hand, the one belonging to the uninjured arm. “You should have told me yesterday that you were working on your ship, I thought you were just overseeing stuff and checking the log books. If I had known I would have pushed you to do the exercices.”

“Don't blame yourself,” Aurane told him quietly and slowly looking up at him, “you don't hold responsibility over me. I was stupid, I should have thought of it myself.” Arthur squeezed his hand and pushed a strand of hair out of Aurane's face.

“Jon is gonna be so mad when he comes back,” Arthur pointed out quietly and continued to stroke fingers through Aurane's hair to calm him. “He'll be angry over this happening while he was gone.”

“It could have happened whether or not he was here,” Aurane pointed out and let his eyes fall shut again, the milk of the poppy was finally working. “Do you think they're alright in Highgarden?”

“Yeah, they're fine. Jon will have the time of his life learning so much new stuff, after everything we know about Willas Tyrell, they're surely doing nothing but hold discussions all day long. Torrhen is gonna be bored beyond belief though.”

“Dangerous,” Aurane whispered with a smile and Arthur could see how he lost the last remaining tension in his limbs, he was close to drifting off. “He'll cause trouble.”

“Jon will reign him in, he's the only one Torre really listens to. He's a good boy, just needs to learn to control that temper, and the last one I heard that about turned out well,” he squeezed Aurane's hand who gave a droopey smile. “Rest now, so when Jon comes back this will all be a story of the past and you can assure him you're alright again.”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

And then Aurane's breaths evened out and he fell asleep, not a moment before it gently knocked on the open door and Arthur looked around to weakly smile at Andric.

“How's he doing?” His brother wanted to know and quietly stepped into the room, Arthur sighed and pulled the thin blanket over Aurane's chest.

“He'll be okay, he just needs to remember that he's not invincible,” Arthur explained and rolled his shoulders, he felt ready to go to bed again even though it wasn't even noon yet. “Did you write Lucerys?”

“Nah, not yet,” Andric said and ruffled a hand through Arthur's hair, cashing in a scowl, privately though Arthur took comfort from it. “I'll do it when Aurane is up again. And I'll write Corlyn, he'll know better how to tell Uncle about this. You got a letter from Ser Jaime. Want me to bring it up?”

“No, I'll come down, I need something to eat and Aurane is out for now anyway,” Arthur answered him and his brother pushed him to his feet and then out of the room, nearly pushing over the toddler curiously looking around the shelf in the corridor. “You come to see what has everyone in such a fuss this morning?” Arthur bent down to talk to his still youngest nephew, Emil scrunched up his nose and then stretched up his arms, “ah, it's just cuddles from your favourite uncle you want!”

“Don't let Benjen hear that.”

“Benjen will soon have _three_ kids of his own, let me have the place of favourite uncle!” Arthur teased and swept his nephew up into his arms before following Andric down the stairs. “By the way, you never answered my question from yesterday.”

“The one about whether or not to trust the Tyrells?” Andric wondered and Arthur nodded, “I don't know what the kids are made of. Willas seems like the right sort from what Oberyn told me, and Jon sure likes him so far. Garlan is said to be a good knight and a strong support for his older brother. Don't know anything about the girl or the third boy. But I would never trust Mace Tyrell, let alone Lady Olenna. Do you still remember what Lady Rhae thought of her?”

“Oh yes, those words were not appropriate for the ears of an eight year old.”

\--

Two days after their arrival, an accidental comment while they were joking around did not only teach Jon a Reacher saying but also had the room freeze in awkwardness as three Reachers stared at two Dornish boys who were panicking on the inside.

'A dragon's dirty downfall.'

How things could be grand and beautiful one moment and then treacherous, dirty and despicable the next.

A storm rose up in Jon and it took a lot of self control and Torrhen moving his hand under the table to settle upon his knee with digging fingernails to keep it from bubbling out of him. Willas and him had never written about the Rebellion, about the fact that their families had stood on different sides, which was true for the blood in Jon and the people who had raised him. And it wasn't Willas now who kept a hand over lips in shock, who had clearly not intended to insult anyone, it was Lady Leonette.

And Jon knew it was an accident, she looked truly horrified over what she had said and still a part in him was livid, burning with disgust and betrayal. He knew the Targaryens had made mistake, he knew that many things could have gone different and less bloody if Rhaegar had only kept his head about himself and had not gotten distracted from his Rebellion plans by Jon's mother but at least even in his darkest days he remained loyal to where he stood.

He didn't switch sides at the last minute because the others looked like winning more suddenly! He didn't sit down in laziness and let others fight because it looked too much of a hassle! He didn't starve children to death!

Of course, and that was for the most parts why he didn't blow up and centered his thoughts again, it hadn't been Willas or Garlan and least of all Leonette who had made those decisions, that had been Macy Tyrell and Jon would never blame the son for his father's choices.

Never.

“I'm so sorry,” Leonette gasped out when the silence became stiffling and Garlan pushed a hand down his face, “that was entirely uncalled for and in bad taste. Can we please talk about something else before this gets even more awkward.” Leonette pleaded and Garlan took her hand to place a kiss on it in comfort.

“I don't see why we shouldn't talk about the past and what happened,” Willas though saw it completely different and leaned back in his chair, relaxed and still calm. “Jon, what do you think. Will there be a chance for reconciliation between Dorne and the rest of the Seven Kingdoms?” Jon knew that Torrhen was staring at him, half expectation, half warning, what he said now the Tyrells would hear as the words of a Loyalist's son but Torrhen would hear them from the lips of a prince.

Whatever he said next would mean a lot.

“I don't see a reason on why there shouldn't be a chance,” he began and chose to look at Willas. “A lot has happened and we Dornish can hold a grudge maybe better than any other part of Westeros but we're not incapable of forgiveness.” It were basically words that Elion had once spoken to him when Jon had asked him if Westeros was always going to look down at Dorne. “Or seeing that the son is not the father. Generations change and with it the Houses they belong to. Tyrion Lannister married a cousin of Princess Elia's, that wouldn't have been possible as long as Tywin Lannister was still alive. But the Old Lion is dead and the Westerland's future Lord Gerion is half Dornish. The North and Dorne have reconciled and the Velaryons have always held dear to us. And I might believe that the Reach's future might just be on good terms with Dorne's future as well.” Jon finished his little speech and Willas smiled at him, inclining his head and reached for his cup.

“You're right, very well said,” Willas agreed with him and raised his cup, everyone else reached for theirs as well, copying his gesture. “We were children in the war or born during it, even only after the war had already ended.” Willas added with a smile in Jon's direction. “The hostilities may continue in the minds of our parents but not in ours. So, let's drink to that. Drink to friendship.”

“Hear, hear!”

And that was the first time that Jon thought about telling Willas the truth, even though he fully well knew he couldn't do it. Willas was a friend, and he trusted that Willas' head was in the right place to make the right decisions and keep secrets but just like his Pa had decided to keep the truth from Ser Barristan and Ser Jaime, Jon knew that he couldn't set that weight upon Willas' shoulders. He was surrounded for the most part by people who did not think too kindly about Dorne and the Targaryens anymore, and the Queen was from the Reach. And though he was no longer the Crown Prince and heir, Stannis Baratheon was still in line for the throne and he was married to a woman from the Reach as well.

Jon trusted Willas.

But he didn't trust Mace Tyrell.

At all.

And he admittedly didn't trust Highgarden's real source of power either.

\--

As the days went on Jon's inner conflict over telling the truth to Willas grew even more, they had become such good friends and ten years age difference truly didn't matter at all. They could talk for hours and it never become awkward, even when they discussed the Rebellion and told each other of the maybe biased way of things this history was handled in Dorne and the Reach respectively.

Willas told him of his experiences as a child in the war, how terrifying it had been to know that family was fighting and might not return. How Garlan and him had asked questions that no one had had answers to because no one knew who things were standing at the moment. Jon found it interesting to hear about how Willas had experienced the fall of the Targaryens and that he didn't speak in even hidden spite over it.

“Traditions are important,” Willas for example told him as they were riding out in the lands surrounding Highgarden, alone, just the two of them and Ghost, no matter how much a fuss the Tyrell guards had put up about it. Willas had set his foot down, had told his guards that whoever would think about attacking them with a direwolf around would regret it very quickly, Jon had only strenghtened that thought. Ghost was fully grown, he was able to kill, even if he would only do it in dire circumstances if Jon was truly in danger, so Jon was convinced. “It's a shame what was done to the Targaryen Legacy, to be viped from our history books like that and only remaining as a bad ghost for King Robert to blame everything on.”

And Jon's ears went sharp.

“King Aerys went mad, no doubt there,” Willas continued as they trotted along the forest path, even this one was cleared up and straightened, it was insane, “but it cannot erase what the Targaryens had given to Westeros for 300 years, what they achieved. They brought peace and united a continent that before had just been too many kinds fighting among themselves and causing their people to suffer often. The Targaryens made mistakes but their House did not deserve what it got, especially the shame, the eradication that came after the fall, the bad-mouthing. And what happened to Princess Elia and her children...” Willas shook his head, anger clouding his face as he looked over to Jon for a moment, “no matter what the Reach think about the Dornish, that was an unforgivable act. My grandmother doesn't hold the Targaryens in high regards, you might know about her history, but I remember how she looked when we got the news, she was horrified.”

And in the spirit of the moment and because he wanted to be blunt about it for once, Jon took some iniative as he asked, “what do you think about King Robert?”

“Just between us,” Willas began and Jon kept his eye son him, the horses knew the terrain, they didn't need to lead much, especially not on a freaking narrow path. “I'm not sure if he is... doing a good job. We hear word from the Stormlands, my brother is squiring at Storm's End as you might know. He writes me about unhappy smallfolk, about them causing small riots, blaming the Crown for their suffering in this difficult time.”

The Stormlands and the Crownlands had suffered an almost plague like infestation of bugs that had damaged and destroyed a lot of crop fields, causing big problems for the smallfolk who couldn't just buy in from other kingdoms. They turned to their Lords who didn't have the funds because the Crown had raised the taxes, the Lords turned to the Crown... and the Crown did nothing. The situation was said to be the most tense in the capital itself.

“I think that King Robert can lead wars, can win wars but he cannot rule a kingdom well. It's not the task of the Small Council to rule in the King's stead, it's their duty to advise him, not make the decisions for him. Especially not the Hand.” The last part in Willas' words caught Jon's attention and he believed he sensed some distrust or at least apprehension in his friend's tone.

“You don't trust Jon Arryn?” He wanted to know and Willas made a thinking face before weighing his head left and right for a few seconds as he contemplated his answer.

“I think that Jon Arryn is a smart man but that he is focused on something I cannot understand, or that he is simply not able or wanting to control his King.” Willas replied and Jon nodded, thoughts in line with that statement behind all the personal resentment. “Word is he is ruling Westeros, so why then, if he is so capable, is the smallfolk suffering in so many places, starving, getting sick. Why are the Lords getting so loud in the Crownlands and turning to the Velaryons for help and advise instead of the Crown they don't trust anymore.”

“And in the Vale people are wondering about the future of House Arryn,” Jon threw in as well, Willas recognized it with a nod of his own. “Robert Arryn is getting sicker with every year, and the people are doubting that he'll make it to adulthood. If Jon Arryn dies without a spare healthy heir, the Vale is gonna fall over itself.”

“It's troubling times. Did you hear already about the trouble stirring in Essos?” Willas asked and Jon could nod again, it had been the last piece of news he had read before Torrhen, Holden and him had left for Highgarden.

“Myr and Tyrosh again, which isn't the surprising factor in it,” Jon put his view on it, Willas listened interestedly, “it's that Lys is keeping itself quiet. They've usually been quick to intervene and rumor has it the Golden Company has set up a basically permanent residence in Lys now. Makes you wonder why Lys is letting Myr and Tyrosh fight it out. Especially considering that when Volantis has enough, they're gonna throw Essos back into war and let me tell you, it wasn't nice.”

“You still think about it a lot?” Willas changed the tone of their conversation a bit and Jon grimaced, sometimes his nightmares still included the moments hidden below that bed, shuddering in Torrhen's arms and being so scared. Seeing swords flash through the mattress over them. Sometimes in the really bad ones Torrhen turned into an imagined version of his sister and everything was so much worse.

“Sometimes,” he answered Willas and bit his lips for a moment, “they fight different in Essos. They turned against the foreigners so quickly, and it didn't matter if man, woman or child. Torrhen remembers more than me but it was bad, and really frightening. At least here in Westeros most knights wouldn't harm a child, even in war, but over there... everyone turned on each other so quick and sudden. It makes me shudder to think about what could happen if they stop fighting each other and band together to go against Westeros. Especially now, especially now where the Crown isn't holding everyone together.”

“Do you think that someone else could do it better?”

“I don't know,” Jon said and he didn't panic about it because he really didn't know the answer to that question and Willas hadn't been hinting at anything, he was just curious. “Robert's son might be smarter than his father or less lazy, more interested in actual ruling but... he's not yet three and I'm not sure if Westeros has that much time. But I also don't know if there is anyone around who could fill that place better, my Pa says a Crown weighs heavy on you, the responsibility can change people so quickly. He was a Kingsguard, he saw it happen up close.” Willas didn't say anything in response for some minutes and they made a left to ride out of the forest again to slowly circle back around to the city and the castle.

The mood didn't suffer under it, and soon enough Willas began to try and poke him into a decision over his favourite place in Westeros again.

What the ride had shown Jon though was that even in a kingdom so different from Dorne, there was someone who thought just like him about the current situation with the Crown, and it meant a lot.

The itch to tell Willas didn't lessen, as did the knowledge that he couldn't risk it for Willas' safety most of all next to his own and that of his family but he knew with absolute certainty that he had found a trusted good friend in Willas during this trip.

And maybe, just maybe, if he went for that path in his future, even a strong ally.

\--

When it was time to say goodbye, Jon knew that he had found good new friends in Willas, Garlan and Leonette, age didn't matter when you got along. He wasn't too sad of leaving Highgarden though, it really wasn't a place he could find comfort in, it was too artificial, it was planned to show off riches.

The moment they left the city wall behind them, the wolves took off to stretch their legs and get a good sense of natural space again, Jon could even feel his horse breathe out deep as he did himself as well. Torrhen even shook himself as they rode North upon the Kingsroad until they took the pass towards the Dornish Mountains, Jon knew that despite the sparring with Garlan, Torrhen hadn't found himself interested in anything else during this trip.

Politics wasn't his thing, neither was history of other Houses not his own, he didn't see the appeal in pleasure hunting and found flowers boring. He still hadn't complained once while Jon had talked with Willas or Leonette for hours, or while he browsed Highgarden's library for almost an entire day because he hadn't learned much about the Reach's history yet. He would make it up to him when they were back home, maybe let Torrhen decide where to go next, maybe propose another trip into the Prince's Pass, Torrhen loved it there.

When they reached the crossing where the left path would lead them straight to the Dornish border on the morrow, a wheelhouse came rolling up the right side, accompanied by riders in silver armor and Tyrell crested cloaks. They halted the horses to let them pass and as the wheelhouse passed by them, Jon caught sight of a girl with long brown hair and large brown eyes who shared a certain similarity with Willas, prompting his mind to put a name to her immediately. He inclined his head to Lady Margaery Tyrell and got to spot a bright smile crossing over her face before the wheelhouse rolled away and he had to follow Torrhen and Holden.

“Let's go home.”

\--

A few days later when they reached the watchtower crossing a good half an hour ride away from Starfall, tips of the white towers already visible in the distance and the Torrentine roaring seemingly all around them, Holden left them behind and rode on ahead. Jon and Torrhen though took the smaller rockier path that led them up into the hills again and towards the ruins of the Tower of Joy where Jon dismounted with a grin when he saw the lazy beast sunning itself.

Stretched out on the ground like a large purple carphet, Starfyre only opened his eyes when Jon was already sitting down next to his head. Starfyre was relaxed, drowsy and completely committed to his midday nap time in the sun. People sought out the inside of their houses and huts and castles for this time of day in the Red Mountains, the sun burned out and unforgiving, the dragon only found joy in it though.

He had nothing to worry here, ever since he had become too big to remain within Starfall's walls any longer, Starfyre had no natural enemies within Westeros anymore... anywhere really. There wasn't an animal that could threaten him, barely any animal approached him in the first place. Proven by the fact that the horses hadn't come closer than the fence that had been set up to tie the horses to after the Arthur-abused tree had given up for good two years ago. Shadow remained with the horses, vary of approaching, whereas Ghost trotted over without any concern and snuck himself under a purple wing to get away from the sun.

Jon watched it all with a smile and then met one purple eye, “I don't even get a hello? Is that the punishment I get for being gone so long?” Starfyre rumbled and then knocked him over with a push of his head, landing Jon in the sand and then settling his head on top of him. “Now, that's better already.” He sent a glance over to where he could see Torrhen approaching the rundown remains of the old staircase and he lowered his voice a little, “you gonna greet Torre, too? We both missed you very much!”

The next thing he heard was a swishing of a dragon's tail and then Torrhen yelping when he hit the ground and was dragged over.

“Missed you, too, buddy. Now, LET ME GO!”

It was good to be back home.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading!
> 
> This might not be as long as you might have wished for after four months but like I said, I worked on a lot of stuff for this series in this hiatus. Next up we'll have a Oneshot where Jon has to make a (temporary) goodbye and also travels back to Essos. After that it's Tourney Time at Storm's End for the next and second to last Multi Chapter Story in this Series.
> 
> Once again, thank you so much and if you wanna read some funny spontaneous stories of mine, maybe check out the October Writing Challenge Series, and if you wanna chat about the Howling at the Stars Series or anything else, you can find me on Twitter under @AugustStories ! Thank you!!!!


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